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Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars: Weird Worlds
Weird Worlds (comics) For other uses, see Weird Worlds (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Weirdworld. Weird Worlds Weird Worlds #1 (September 1972) Art by Joe Kubert Publication information Publisher DC Comics Format Ongoing series Genre Science fiction Publication date Vol. 1: September 1972 – October–November 1974 Vol. 2: March 2011 – August 2011 No. of issues Vol. 1: 10 Vol. 2: 6 Creative team Written by List Vol. 1: Dennis O'Neil, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman Vol. 2: Aaron Lopresti, Kevin Maguire, Kevin VanHook Artist(s) List Vol. 1: Murphy Anderson, Howard Chaykin, Dan Green, Michael Kaluta, Alan Weiss Vol. 2: Aaron Lopresti, Kevin Maguire, Jerry Ordway Weird Worlds was an American science-fiction comics anthology series published by DC Comics. It ran from 1972 to 1974 for a total of 10 issues.1 The title's name was partially inspired by the sales success of Weird War Tales and WeirdWestern Tales.Weird Worlds published features based on writer Edgar Rice Burroughs' creations which DC had obtained the licensing rights. This included the "John Carter of Mars" feature, by scripter Marv Wolfman and artist Murphy Anderson, which moved from Tarzan #209, and the "Pellucidar" feature from Korak, Son of Tarzan #46 drawn by Alan Weiss, Michael Kaluta, and Dan Green. These features ran until issue #7 (October 1973) until it became economically infeasible for DC to continue publishing so many adaptations of Burroughs' work.[3 "John Carter" would re-appear in Tarzan Family #62–64 and "Pellucidar" in Tarzan Family #66. A new feature began in issue #8, Dennis O'Neil and Howard Chaykin's Ironwolf,4 which ran through issue #10. The release of the last issue of Weird Worlds was delayed for several months due to a nationwide paper shortage.5 The title was relaunched in March 2011 and ran for six issues.6 It featured Lobo and two new characters: Aaron Lopresti's Garbage Man and Kevin Maguire's Tanga. In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, the characters appeared in the title My Greatest Adventure. References Edit Weird Worlds at the Grand Comics DatabaseDaniels, Les (1995). DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes. New York, New York: Bulfinch Press. p. 153. ISBN 0821220764. 'Carmine Infantino and I found out that the word weird sold well.' Joe Orlando recalls. 'So DC created Weird War and Weird Western.'Schweier, Philip (February 2015). "Iron Wolf". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (78): 42.McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. After the debut tale by acclaimed artist Howard Chaykin and co-scripter Denny O'Neil, Ironwolf became the lead protagonist in the Weird Worlds title.Wells, John (October 24, 1997), "'Lost' DC: 1971–1975", Comics Buyer's Guide, Iola, Wisconsin (1249): 125, In the wake of a nationwide paper shortage, DC canceled several of its lower-selling titles in late 1973...#10 and three other completed comic books slated for release in November 1973 (Secret Origins #7, Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #137, and Weird Worlds #10) were put on hold until the summer of 1974. Weird Worlds vol. 2' at the Grand Comics Database External links Edit Weird Worlds at the Comic Book DB Weird Worlds vol. 2 at the Comic Book DB Weird Worlds and Weird Worlds vol. 2 at Mike's Amazing World of Comics Stub icon This DC Comics–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Last edited 5 months ago by Jmg38 RELATED ARTICLES Howard Chaykin American comic book artist and writer John Carter, Warlord of Mars comic series Ironwolf (comics) Wikipedia Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted. Reveiw Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars: Weird Worlds Published on November 3, 2011, by JPRoscoe - Posted in Books/Comics, DC, Independent 0 edgar rice burroughs john carter of mars weird worlds 5.5Overall Score Story:6/10 Art:5/10 John Carter comes to DC Comics Series deserved a better release Rate this (2 Votes) Comic Info weird worlds #1 cover john carter tarzan dc comics Weird Worlds #1 Reprints stories from DC Comics Tarzan #207-209 (April 1972-June 1972) and Weird Worlds #1-7 (September 1972-October 1973). Confederate soldier John Carter collapses in an Arizona cave and wakes up on Mars (Barsoom) where he meets aliens like the Martian warrior Tars Tarkas, his daughter Sola, and his faithful Martian “dog” Woola. A stranger in a strange land, John Carter finds life on Mars is one battle after another as he fights for his new allies and the beautiful Deja Thoras, the woman who will guide his actions forever. Written by Marv Wolfman, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars: Weird Worlds present back-up stories from DC Comics’ Tarzan series reprinted by Dark Horse. John Carter of Mars was Burroughs’ successful (yet slightly less successful than Tarzan) series of eleven books. The character first appeared in 1912 in the short story Under the Moons of Mars but eventually that story was developed into the book A Princess of Mars (1917). The collection features art by Sal Amendola, Murphy Anderson, Gray Morrow, and Joe Orlando. John Carter always intrigued me. He was just a normal guy on Earth, but essentially a superhero on Mars (due to the lighter gravity). He could practically fly when he jumped and possessed the strength of ten men in confrontations with strange aliens and monsters. It is a great set-up for a series. weird worlds #5 cover john carter dc comics Weird Worlds #5 This collection starts out by adapting A Princess of Mars but then becomes a bit of a mess by taking on other stories about the time it jumps from Tarzan to Weird Worlds. It is obvious by the end of the short book that word was given that John Carter’s time at DC was finished so the story wraps up in a not very satisfactory conclusion. The art in the John Carter also is all over the place. Sometimes Carter has short hair, sometimes he has long hair…this is just an example of the inconsistencies since multiple artists handled the comic over its short run. There are a couple of faults in the books in that artists have a very difficult time illustrating Tars Tarkas and his people as described by Burroughs. Their long bodies just look weird and often look like they were formed wrong…I credit the artists for trying to determine their appearance from the description but it doesn’t translate to the illustrations well. John Carter is an interesting character who has never made the big jump. After the run at DC, Marvel Comics had a John Carter comic series in 1977 for a number of issues (also reprinted by Dark Horse). Currently, there are multiple John Carter comics on the market. John Carter had his big chance again to become a name in 2012 with a big screen film, but John Carter bombed at the box office (due in large part to the marketing and release)…leaving John Carter without a solid home again. Related Links: John Carter (2012) John Carter in Comics John Carter of Mars -- A Comics History by Michael Tierney Frazetta's Chessmen/Thuvia cover A Romance of the Planets A Princess of Mars 1st edition HC Tarzan of the Apes is the creation that writer Edgar Rice Burroughs is best known for. But the apeman wasn't his first creation. And for many fans, Tarzan isn't even their favorite Burroughs character. Whereas Tarzan can be described as a Romance of the Jungle, Burroughs' first novel was a Romance of the Planets. Under the Moons of Mars art logo Under the Moons of Mars was first published in 1912 by All Story Magazine under a pseudonym, and reprinted five years later in hardcover by A.C. McClurg with the title of A Princess of Mars (shown right). Here Burroughs introduced John Carter of Mars, a Civil War veteran and the greatest swordsman on two worlds. Like Tarzan, A Princess of Mars ended with a cliffhanger where John Carter, after having just saved the planet and his love, Princess Dejah Thoris, is suddenly transported back to Earth by the same mysterious means that he came to Mars. John Carter would return to Mars in The Gods of Mars, and his quest to win the hand of Princess Dejah Thoris would be resolved in the third book of the opening trilogy; Warlord of Mars. John Carter 1st Edition collection Ace John Carter of Mars paperback setBallantine Thuvia, Main of Mars Abbett art There would be a total of 11 published volumes (the complete First Edition collection is shown above), all filled with high adventure in the surreal landscape of a Mars very different from that we know today. Most modern readers assume that John Carter had traveled not just through space, but to a different reality as well. Burroughs' Mars is a lost world where ancient and crumbling cities housed a variety of races and monsters, filled with women who wore virtually no clothing -- only jewelry. The beauty and savagery of the world are shown in the covers for the brief series of paperbacks done by Roy G. Krenkel for Ace (shown right), before the dispute over rights was settled in the Sixites. The Ballantine First Edition set was covered by Robert Abbett, who incorporated the unique flying ships of Mars into many of his paintings, as shown in his second different cover for Thuvia, Maid of Mars (shown left). Abbett would first be replaced by a set featuring the wraparound artwork of Gino D'Achilie, who was in turn replaced by another set of wraparound covers by fantasy painter Michael Whelan (shown left). Ballantine John Carter Whelan art The cover at the top by Frank Frazetta, from the Science Fiction Book Club set (shown right), sums up the characters better than any other illustration. Here John Carter faces a monstrous threat armed only with his sword, all while Dejah Thoris watches confidently. And, just like Tarzan, all of Edgar Rice Burroughs' creations were unshakably moral. John Carter of Mars was no exception. This is one reason why so many modern writers have failed when trying to adapt or expand on Burroughs' creations. They simply do not fit into the modern concept of dysfunctional anti-heroes. John Carter SFBC Edition collection John Carter would lay down his life to protect his Princess. Likewise, Dejah Thoris would commit suicide before committing adultery. The novels are filled with scenes where Dejah poises a knife over her breast, just as John Carter makes a timely rescue. Unlike Tarzan, John Carter did not have great success in other media. Only recently has he started to be transferred to the screen, first with a low budget film, and soon with one of more stature. But John Carter did beat Tarzan to the comic books with new material, starting in 1939 with an adaptation of A Princess of Mars in The Funnies #30. The first four issues were drawn by Jim Gary. Funnies #35 Funnies #36 Funnies #37 Funnies #40 Funnies #42 John Carter Sunday Page With issue #34, Edgar Rice Burroughs' son, John Coleman Burroughs, took over and would draw every issue until the series ended in issue #56. John Coleman Burroughs would also contribute the John Carter covers for Funnies issues #35, #36, #37, and #40, along with an inset clip on #42 (all shown above). High Spot #2 The stories from these Funnies would later be collected into the John Carter of Mars Big Little Books, and predated the John Carter newspaper strips, for which John Coleman Burroughs continued to do the art (image shown left courtesy of the Jim Albert collection). The entire newspaper run is available to read at the Erbzine website. Dell John Carter John Coleman Burroughs also illustrated ERB's third longest running series of novels, David Innes of Pellucidar, in the scarce 1940 Hi-Spot #2 (shown right). This comic was obviously intended to continue, but never did. Issues #1 and #3 on were titled Red Ryder. The Warlord of Mars was back in comics during the early Fifties, when Dell ran a short series with art by Jessie Marsh in Four Color #375, #437, and #488. The trio were reprinted as a John Carter mini-series by Gold Key in 1964 (both shown left). When DC Comics took over Tarzan in 1972, they also started running John Carter tales in the short-lived Weird Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs (shown right), which also featured other ERB creations. But the series only lasted a couple of years. In 1977, Marvel brought John Carter back to the comics. At first, the comics were very faithful to the original concepts, featuring dynamic artwork by Gil Kane (#1 shown left). Issue #18 featured Frank Miller's (Sin City, 300) first work for Marvel. Weird Worlds #1Marvel John Carter #1 But as writers continued to change, the modern direction of making the characters dysfunctional also crept into the stories. Then came the story where John Carter and Dejah Thoris were held prisoner in an underground city. To stop their captors from beating John Carter, Dejah Thoris agreed to sleep with their leader. A stereo needle ripping across a record could not describe better how off track those characterizations were. This was not the unconquerable hero and noble heroine, who would commit suicide before adultery. I stopped reading at that point, and apparently wasn't the only one. The series was soon canceled and John Carter of Mars disappeared from comic shelves for a long time. Now, a high budget movie is in the works and a new Warlord of Mars from Dynamite Comics is about to debut. It doesn't appear to be licensed, since Edgar Rice Burroughs' trademarked name appears nowhere on the advertising. But, putting all matters of public domain rights to the side, at the very least the upcoming series (Diamond Comics catalog ads shown right and left) looks like it will have some pretty nice covers. Warlord of Mars Ad 1Warlord of Mars Ad 2 John Carter of Mars, a favorite of many fans of Edgar Rice Burroughs, still battles on. Michael Tierney -- August 30, 2010 Swords of Mars 1st Ed. wrapper *You can read my review of Dynamite's Warlord of Mars #1 in issue #1675, March 2011, of * Comics SearchHomeContents PageSite Map Nexus Graphica by Rick Klaw Websites Other Nexus Graphica Columns For more information, you can try the following: John Carter in comics John Carter in The Funnies John Coleman Burroughs Sunday strips (complete with annotations) John Carter by Jesse Marsh Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars: The Jesse Marsh Years The Martian Weird Worlds Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars: Weird Worlds Tarzan Family 62 Tarzan Family 63 Tarzan Family 64 John Carter, Warlord of Mars Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars: Warlord of Mars John Carter, Warlord of Mars Omnibus Gray Morrow Sunday strips Dynamite Entertainment John Carter: Worlds of Mars Action! Mystery! Thrills! Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age 1933-1945 Inner Sanctum Silent Partner Recent Books of Interest Action! Mystery! Thrills! Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age 1933-1945 Edited by Greg Sadowski (Fantagraphics) Action! Mystery! Thrills! Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age 1933-1945 Editor/designer Greg Sadowski returns to his tireless exploration of the comic book with this magnificent collection of 176 full color covers, dating from the Golden Age. As in his previous volumes (Supermen!, Four Color Fear, Setting the Standard), Sadowski supplies copious end notes and annotations. Though this time, the information additionally reads as an entertaining history of early comics. Perhaps the book's only flaws rest in the lack of an index and that the annotations might better serve the subject if printed alongside the images. Sadowski once again delivers an essential book for anyone with an interest in comics history. Inner Sanctum by Ernie Colón (NBM) Inner Sanctum Under-appreciated by mainstream comic fans, Ernie Colón rarely worked on super-hero titles and is probably best remembered as the co-creator of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld and artist on titles such as Arak, Son of Thunder and Marvel's Conan. Colón demonstrates his considerable talents in seven tales adapted from the classic radio show Inner Sanctum Mystery. "Death of a Doll," "Alive in the Grave," "The Horla," and "Lived Once—Buried Twice" offer sufficient chills to interest even the most jaded horror comics fan. The only negative to these largely excellent stories is the missing historical data on the original episodes and the show itself. Essentially, Inner Sanctum serves as a showcase for the extraordinary Colón. Silent Partner by Jonathan Kellerman Adapted by Ande Parks Art by Michael Gaydos (Villard) Silent Partner The first graphic adaptation derived from best-selling author Jonathan Kellerman's works, the compelling Silent Partner (based on the novel of the same name) follows renowned child psychologist Alex Delaware as he delves into the mystery surrounding the suicide of a former lover. His travails lead him through a harrowing array of mind games and duplicity. Though beautiful, the Gaydos art at times muddies the meandering, dense story. The lettering appears misplaced in several scenes causing some momentary confusion. Even with these flaws, Kellerman, Parks, and Gaydos manage to deliver a taut, psychological and ultimately satisfying drama. Four-Color Skies Over Barsoom: John Carter in Comics The Funnies John Carter of Mars: The Jesse Marsh Years Weird Worlds John Carter, Warlord of Mars Nearly one hundred years ago, Edgar Rice Burroughs, under the nom de plume of Norman Bean, created the seminal planetary romance. "Under the Moons of Mars" from the February, 1912 All Story Magazine featured former Confederate Captain John Carter. Fleeing Apaches, Carter hides in a cave where he is overcome by fumes. He awakens on Mars, Barsoom to the natives. In the lighter gravity of the smaller planet, Carter achieves nearly superhuman accomplishments. He can leap extraordinary distances, his strength increases dramatically, and he develops telepathic abilities. Shortly after his arrival, he encounters the Tharks, a fierce race of large six-limbed, green-skinned warriors. After demonstrating his mettle in combat, Carter earns the respect and eventual friendship Tars Tarkas, one of the Thark chiefs. The Tharks capture the Princess of Helium, Dejah Thoris, a member of the humanoid red Martian race. Carter falls in love with the comely woman and becomes embroiled in the complex political realities of the Red Planet. While less famous than his literary brother Tarzan of the Apes, the John Carter of Mars series showcased Edgar Rice Burroughs at his best and most creative. But unlike Tarzan, Carter's adventures have rarely appeared on film (the forthcoming John Carter marks only the second movie featuring the character) and even though he displays obvious super-heroic attributes, remarkably few comics have been devoted to his adventures Some 28 years after the initial tale, the earliest graphic adventures first appeared in comics format. Largely illustrated and adapted by Burroughs's talented son John Coleman, the series appeared in The Funnies (Dell) No. 30, May 1939 through No. 56, June, 1941. Like most of the following attempts, this outing recounts large portions of the first two Martian novels A Princess of Mars and The Gods of Mars. Using many of the same concepts, John Coleman then produced a Sundays-only strip, 1941-1942. Sadly, none of these attractive, intelligent stories have ever been collected in book form. John Carter returned to comics in 1952 in Dell's Four Color 375, 437, and 488. Best remembered for producing the first original Tarzan comic books, Jesse Marsh's vision (with scripts by the prolific Paul S. Newman) offers occasional attractive images but overall the stories, again derived from Princess and Gods, lack any sparkle, presenting the usually dynamic Barsoom as a flat, dull world. Unlike the John Coleman attempts, these tales were aimed squarely at children. They lack the maturity and insights of the previous series and the original source material. This didn't prevent Gold Key from reprinting the stories in 1964 as John Carter of Mars No. 1-3. Dark Horse recently collected all the issues in the hardback Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars: The Jesse Marsh Years. Largely forgotten, D.R. Morton & Robert Forest adapted Princess as The Martian for the British paper Sun Weekly. The handsome strip ran for 31 weeks in 1958-1959. John Carter disappeared from the sequential landscape until 1972 when DC included the hero as back ups in Tarzan. Written by John Carter fan Marv Wolfman with art by Murphy Anderson, Gray Morrow, Sal Amendola, Joe Orlando, and an uncredited Howard Chaykin, the stories appeared first in Tarzan No. 207-209 and then in the anthology Weird Worlds No. 1-7. The attractive tales, the best since John Coleman Burroughs' efforts, primarily rehashed material from Princess and Gods. Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars: Weird Worlds (Dark Horse) collects all these stories. In 1976, DC took another final brief stab. Original five-page John Carter stories by writer Robert Kanigher and artists Noly Zamora, and Vic Catan, Jr. graced the pages of Tarzan Family No. 62-64. Strangely, Dark Horse did not include these interesting, beautiful comics within the Weird Worlds collection. Perhaps the finest sequential visions emerged from Marvel begining in 1977. John Carter, Warlord of Mars ran for 28 issues and three annuals, all original stories mainly scripted by Wolfman and Chris Claremont. Wolfman, in particular, understood the complexities of the Barsoomian landscape. His initial 10 chapter sequence "The Air-Pirates of Mars" reads like a lost Burroughs novel. The series featured some of the finest late-career Gil Kane art, usually abetted by the elegant Ruby Nebres. Other contributing artists Frank Miller, Walt Simonson, Ernie Colón (his first Marvel work), Dave Cockrum, Mike Vosburg, and Carmine Infantino. The entire series was collected in a black & white omnibus edition by Dark Horse under the clunky title of Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars: Warlord of Mars and recently by Marvel in a full color hardcover. After the 1979 demise of the Marvel book, John Carter pickings become slim. Gray Morrow returned to helm a short-lived Sunday strip (October, 1994-August, 1995). Dark Horse produced a 1996 four issue crossover of Burroughs's two most famous creations. Sadly, Tarzan/John Carter: Warlords of Mars has never been collected. John Carter plays a pivotal role in the first issue (1999) of Alan Moore and Pat O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II. The announcement of Disney's big budget, live action John Carter spurred a whole new generation of Mars comics. Dynamite Entertainment currently publishes several titles exploring not just John Carter and Dejah Thoris but different aspects of the Barsoomian culture and history. Marvel, now owned by Disney, supplied John Carter: Worlds of Mars, the official prequel to the movie. Additionally, they produced a new adaptation of Princess and plan a Gods one as well. Thanks to Austin Books for their help with this column. Copyright © 2012 Rick Klaw Professional reviewer, geek maven, and optimistic curmudgeon, Rick Klaw has supplied countless reviews, essays, and fiction for a variety of publications including The Austin Chronicle, The San Antonio Current, The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Moving Pictures, RevolutionSF, Conversations With Texas Writers, Electric Velocipede, Cross Plains Universe, Steampunk, and The Steampunk Bible. Coming in March 2013 from Tachyon, he is editing The Apes of Wrath, a survey of apes in literature with contributions from Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Franz Kafka, Gustave Flaubert, Joe R. Lansdale, Pat Murphy, Leigh Kennedy, James P. Blaylock, Clark Ashton Smith, Karen Joy Fowler, Philip José Farmer, Robert E. Howard and others. Klaw can often be found pontificating on Twitter and over at The Geek Curmudgeon. SearchContents PageSite MapContact UsCopyright If you find any errors, typos or other stuff worth mentioning, please send it to editor@sfsite.com. Copyright © 1996-2014 SF Site All Rights Reserved Worldwide